Embodiments of the disclosure relate generally to systems and methods for monitoring health of rotor blades or airfoils.
Rotor blades or airfoils play a crucial role in many devices with several examples, such as, axial compressors, turbines, engines and turbo-machines. For example, an axial compressor typically has a series of stages with each stage comprising a row of rotor blades followed by a row of static blades. Accordingly, each stage generally comprises a pair of rotor blades and static blades. As an illustrative axial compressor example, the rotor blades increase the kinetic energy of a fluid that enters the axial compressor through an inlet. Furthermore, the static blades generally convert the increased kinetic energy of the fluid into static pressure through diffusion. Accordingly, the rotor blades and static blades play an important role to increase the pressure of the fluid.
The rotor blades and the static blades (hereinafter “blades”) are used in wide and varied applications of the axial compressors that include the blades. Axial compressors, for example, may be used in a number of applications, such as, land based gas turbines, jet engines, high speed ship engines, small scale power stations, and the like. In addition, the axial compressors may be used in varied applications, such as, large volume air separation plants, blast furnace air, fluid catalytic cracking air, propane dehydrogenation, and the like.
The blades operate for long hours under extreme and varied operating conditions such as, high speed, pressure and temperature that effect the health of the blades. In addition to the extreme and varied conditions, certain other factors lead to fatigue and stress of the blades. This may include factors, such as, inertial forces including centrifugal force, pressure, resonant frequencies of the blades, vibrations in the blades, vibratory stresses, temperature stresses, reseating of the blades, and load of the gas or other fluids. A prolonged increase in stress and fatigue over a period of time leads to defects and cracks in the blades. Furthermore, one or more of the cracks may widen or otherwise worsen with time to result in a liberation of a blade or a portion of the blade. The liberation of the blade may be hazardous for the device resulting in the failure of the device and significant cost. In addition, it may create an unsafe environment for people near the device and result in serious injuries.
Accordingly, it is highly desirable to develop a system and method that detects the health of rotor blades in real time. More particularly, it is desirable to develop a system and method that predicts cracks or fractures.